BACH The Cello Suites Jian Wang 4775228

Wang is assuredly a great cellist. In a world increasingly full of great recordings of them, these by the young cellist instantly take an important place.

Record Review /
Jeff Simon,
Buffalo News / 25. February 2005

[Wang's] eloquent playing, which has much of the flexibility and grace of the legendary Casals in this repertory, draws the listener deep into the music. Wang exudes emotion in his interpretations without cheapening one phrase or stifling the flow of Bach's far-reaching melodic lines.

Record Review /
Music Week (London) / 23. April 2005

Wang's new CD is quite beautiful . . . Throughout he manages to draw out a soulful depth that makes these works very much his own.

Record Review /
Greg Cahill,
Strings (San Rafael) / 01. May 2005

Wang's bow control projects lyrical melody above restrained harmony and repeats, rather than sounding literal, become developed expansions of the first playing of each half-dance . . . this is wonderfully imaginative playing, with fine recording picking up a resonant bloom without obscuring detail -- a "must" for any collection.

Record Review /
George Pratt,
BBC Music Magazine (London) / 01. May 2005

That deep-seated, big-picture view of Bach and where his music fits into our inner lives is what Wang brings to the table and it is what he expresses so ably through his artistry.

Record Review /
Greg Cahill,
Strings (San Rafael) / 01. May 2005

With 60 recordings of these suites already available, to make a mark among such a host requires at the very least superlative technique, a deep understanding of French courtly dance and a musical personality modest enough to reflect and complement, rather than impose on, Bach's intentions. Jian Wang plays outmoded Allemandes fairly freely, though he holds the notoriously slow final one on a firm rein. Faster dances are superbly metrical but never inflexible as he bends rhythms around the underlyingpulse. They are full of character, too -- the third Allemande strutting proudly; the first Minuet with elegantly lifted steps; the final Gigue . . . with never a hint of hesitation at the fistfuls of multiple stops. Wang's bow control projects lyrical melody above restrained harmony and repeats, rather than sounding literal, become developed expansions of the first playing of each half-dance. The six Preludes, each strikingly different, are full of contrasting character. . . this is wonderful imaginative playing, with fine recording picking up a resonant bloom without obscuring details -- a "must" for any collection.

Record Review /
BBC Music Magazine (London) / 01. May 2005

The deep-seated, big-picture view of Bach and where his music fits into our inner lives is what Wang brings to the table and it is what he expresses so ably through his artistry.

Record Review /
Strings (San Rafael) / 01. May 2005

Here we have nothing but tenderness, both in the silky caresses of his playing and in the conception . . . This is not a definitive reading, though for its exquisite musicianship a compelling one nevertheless.

Record Review /
Lindsey Kemp,
Gramophone (London) / 01. July 2005

. . . great melding of dance-like, up-tempo period readings, and more Romantic or subjective interpretations.

Record Review /
Jacob Stockinger,
The Capital Times / 15. December 2005